Ventilating system for forging presses



July 31, 1956 B. KAPLAN ETAL VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSESFiled July 27, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 31, 1956 B. KAPLAN ETAL2,756,617

VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSEIS Filed July 27, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3 /7

y 1956 B. KAPLAN ETAL 2,756,617

VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR FORGING PRESSES Filed July 2'7, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent VENTILATIN G SYSTEM FOR FORGINGPRESSES Bernard Kaplan, Franklin Square, N. Y., and Thomas U. Chace,Worcester, Mass, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, toWyman-Gordon Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts,and Baldwin- Lima-Hamilton Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporationof Pennsylvania Application July 27, 1953, Serial No. 370,584

7 Claims. CI. 7813) This invention relates to an improvement inventilating systems for large forging presses and the like, particularlypresses of the hydraulic type wherein great pressures are developedbetween dies and the material to be forged. In the operation of suchpresses, the temperature of the dies may range up to approximately 800F. and the temperature of the workpiece may be considerably higher,depending on the item being forged. In such presses, the dies and theworkpiece are lubricated, and because of the high temperatures, a partof the lubricant is rapidly vaporized and burned. smoke, fumes andflame, and unless these by-products are removed, they present anindustrial hazard to the press workers which will reduce the efficiencyof the workers and adversely aifect the press output.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of this invention toprovide an improved ventilating system for presses of this type whichwill remove smoke and fumes as quickly as they are generated, snub outany flames arising from ignited lubricant, and maintain an air supply ata temperature suited to the needs of the press workers.

This results in objectionable It is another object of this invention toconcentrate the ventilating means in the desired region by causing themajor portion of the ventilating system to be carried by the presscomponents.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an enclosure for theregion adjacent the dies-,- in which region the fumes are formed, sothat the maximum concentration of ventilating activity will occur inthis enclosure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide enclosing means forthe region adjacent the dies, which means may be varied as desired inaccordance with opcrating procedure.

It is still another object of this invention to accomplish the desiredventilation with the aid of a relatively small, effectively used volumeof fresh air, which will not only result in savings in required power,but will also assist in keeping the die temperature at the desired highlevel.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent inthe following detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. l is a side elevation, partly sectionedvertically, of one type of forging press embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a, vertical section through a detail of the Fig. 1 mechanismshowing an expansion joint.

Fig. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of the Fig. 1 device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of certain ventilating and exhausting equipmentwith parts of the press omitted.

Fig. 5 is an isometric projection showing details of curtain raisingconnections.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another type of forging pressembodying a modified form of the invention.

The invention is illustrated and described herein as applied to a largecapacity hydraulic forging press, but it will be readily apparent thatit has general applicability 2,756,617 Patented July 31, 1956 whereverthere are employed la'r'ge dies and workpieces which develop hightemperatures and cause the formation of smoke and fumes.

As illustrated, the invention is applied to a forging press whichcomprises a fixed lower platen 10 having a die support 11 for supportinga die 12, and a movable upper platen 14 having a die support 15supporting a die 16. The fixed platen 10 is mounted on a bed structureindicated generally at 22 which rests through bed 23 on a suitablefoundation below floor level 21, while the movable platen 14 isconnected tothe movable upper cross-head indicated generally at 17. Theworkpiece to be forged is placed upon die 12, and the forging isaccomplished by lowering the upper platen to compress the workpiecebetween the dies 12 and 16.

The upper platen is normally maintained in elevated position by causingpistons 25 which are fixed to said platen to be lifted within cylinders26 fixed to the lower platen 10. The elevation is achieved byintroducing fluid under pressure from a suitable source (not shown) intothe cylinders. 26.

To move the upper cross-head and platen downwardly toward the lowerplaten, there are provided a plurality of columns or tie-bars indicatedgenerally at 30 which are connected at their upper ends to thecross-head 17 at 27 and connected at their other ends to a movable lowercross-head'indi'c'ated generally at 31. The latter, in turn, isconnected to ramsor pistons operating in cylinders 33 fixed onthe'bedt'2-3; When fluid under pressure is admittedto cylinders 33, therains operating therein are forced downwardly, carrying therewith thecolumns and the upper cross-head, thus applying a force to theworkpiece.

It should here be noted that the press operators begin to lubricate thedies while they are in their separated positions, after which theworkpiece'or billet ismoved into position. on the lower die.v It isduring this operation that thepres's workers are subjected to theexcessive heat of the dies'and to the smoke, fumes and flame caused bythe lubrication process. There is therefore provided by the followingarrangement improved means whereby the region of the dies will beadequately ventilated to increase the comfort and working efliciency ofthe press operators.

One of the features'of the improved ventil'ating'system for aforgingpress" of the type described is an ample supply of fresh air capabl'e'ofreplacing smoke and fumes as fast as they are generated, and carryingoff an adequate quantity of the generated heat to make the region of thedies suitable for the press workers. One source of fresh air supply isprovided by a perforated pipe 41 arranged around the lower die andconnected to a source of compressed air (not shown) toproduce an airblast directed towards the upper die. Further, a plurality of floor fans(see Fig. 4) are preferably arranged along one or two sides of thepress, for reasons to be described more fully hereinafter. The batteryof fans 40, in conjunction with the air blast header 41, are capable ofdelivering a quantity of fresh air to the region of the diessubstantially sufficient to accomplish the hereinbefore mentionedobjectives, and give cooling comfort to the operators, provided adequatecirculation of this air is effected.

Anotherfeatureof the improved ventilating system is therefore suitablemeans for effecting rapid removal of smoke fromthe die-region and rapidpassage of fresh air continuously through'this region. The correspondingpart of the ventilating s'ystem issupported on, and is movable with, theupper platen. Essentially: it comprises an exhaust hood 45 extendingsubstantially around the periphery of the upper die 16 and supported onthe upper platen 14in any suitable manner. The exhaust hood is providedwith a plurality of openings 46through which smoke and fumes may besucked into the hood by means of a plu- 3 rality of suction fans 50-mounted on the upper platen and connected by conduits 51 to the hood.The smoke and fumes thus sucked into the hood by the exhaust fans 50 aredischarged into discharge conduits 60 (Fig. 4) which are connected totheexterior at some remote point.

Preferably, the exhaust fans 50 are provided with water sprayarrangements built into the fan inlets to snub out and extinguish anyflames formed. The water supply pipes are shown at 52.

Since the exhaust hood 45, the exhaust fans 50, connecting conduits 51,and discharge conduits 60 are all carried by the upper platen and willmove therewith as the platen moves to its upper and lower positions, itis necessary to provide an expansion joint 70 between the dischargeconduits 60 and the fixed discharge standpipe 71 leading to theexterior. Such a flexible coupling is shown in Fig. 2 and may be of theliquid or water seal type wherein the lower vertically extending end ofdischarge conduit 71 extends into a water trough 72 between an outerwall 73 and the vertical end of discharge standpipe 60. The trough 72 ismade of such vertical dimension that the liquid seal will remaineffective as the end of conduit 60 moves with the upper platen to itsupper and lower limiting positions.

In order that the above described ventilating system shall be of maximumefliciency to ventilate the desired region adjacent the dies, it isdesirable to enclose this region to a predetermined extent. In effectingsuch enclosure, however, it must be borne in mind that access to thedies must be available to the operators, and that the enclosed regionvaries in volume between the time when the dies are in their separatedpositions and the time when the dies engage the billet. The enclosuretherefore must be flexible as to degree of encirclement of the dieregion. For this purpose, there is employed a plurality of curtainssupported by the upper platen, in a manner to be described herein, andcapable of being selectively raised and lowered. Referring to Figs. 1,4, and 5, it will be seen that there is illustrated the use of threecurtains 80, 81 and 82, cooperating with three sides of the die, whilethe fourth side is open to the blower fans 40 (Fig. 4). It will beapparent from the following description that four curtains may beemployed, one on each of the four sides of the die, or two curtains maybe employed, such as curtains 80 and 81, or 81 and 82, which form aclosed corner in which the air may be blown, Suitable means for raisingand lowering each of the curtains selectively and individually areprovided, as will be described below. 1

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown the curtain 81. fastened at itsupper end 83 to the exhaust hood 45 and wrapped around a floating bar 84at its lower end. A plurality of cords or cables 85 are provided, eachcable 85 being fixed at one end 86 on the exhaust hood 45 in back ofcurtain 81 and extending along the back of curtain 81, around the rolledlower end 84, over a plurality of pulleys 87, 88 to a piston in ahydraulic cylinder 91 mounted on the column 30. Thus it will be seenthat when the piston in cylinder 91 is raised or lowered, the cables 85will be raised or lowered, to roll up or unroll curtain 81 around roller84. The curtain 81 must be raised when the platen descends and must belowered when the platen rises, because it is when the dies are separatedthat the curtains must be lowered to permit operators to effect thelubrication of the dies and to provide the maximum forced ventilation atsuch time. The rate of movement of the piston in cylinder 91 ispreferably greater than the rate of movement of the upper platen so thatthe curtain will be raised faster than the platen is lowered.

By referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that a separate cable and pulleysystem is provided for each of the ourtains 88, 81 and 82, the cables ofcurtain being actuated by the piston in cylinder 90, the cables ofcurtain 81 being actuated by the piston in cylinder 91, and the cablesof curtain 82 being actuated by the piston in cylinder 92, each of saidcylinders being supported on one of the columns 30. The admission anddischarge of fluid pressure into and out of the cylinders 90, 91, 92 mayberemotely controlled by an operator at floor level by utilizingwell-known means such as solenoid valves 95, 96, 97 whose circuits arecontrolled by switches at floor level.

In Fig. 6 there is disclosed a modified form of the inventionparticularly adapted to be applied to a press of the type in which theupper platen moves relative to a fixed upper cross-head or crown, thecurtains being rolled up and unrolled by the movement of the upperplaten. The upper platen 14 is connected to the lower ends of rams 100adapted to operate in cylinders 1111 supported by the fixed uppercross-head or crown 102. The upper platen again carries an exhaust hood45 therewith, and the upper ends of each curtain are attached to theexhaust hood. Cables have their ends 111 and 112 fixed to the movingplaten structure and pass over pulleys 113 and 114 mounted on the fixedcross-head 102, and over floating roller 115 attached to the lower endof the respective curtain (see 81 in Fig. 6). Since both ends of thecable are attached to the moving platen structure, the cable is ineffect an endless band of fixed length and, therefore, the distancebetween rollers 114 and 115 remains fixed. Thus, the curtain will rollup as the platen 14 descends and will unroll as platen 14 rises. If itis desired to raise the curtain in any position of the upper platen, apiston 121) connected to the cable at 121 may be drawn into a cylinder122 by supplying fluid pressure to the cylinder from a suitable source(not shown). However, it will be clear that this cylinder need not beoperated for rolling up and unrolling the curtain in accordance withreciproeating movements of the upper platen and, therefore, thearrangement shown in Fig. 6 will result in a saving in consumption ofcompressed air.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a vertical forging press comprising a movable upper platen, afixed lower platen, and dies carried by said platens, means forventilating the region of the press adjacent the dies and including thespace occupied by an operator, said ventilating means comprising aplurality of curtains supported by the upper platen and adapted toenclose to a predetermined extent the space occupied by said dies and bysaid operator, means for raising the curtains during the downwardmovement of the upper platen and for lowering the curtains during theupward movement of the upper platen, exhaust means including exhaustfans carried by the upper platen and movable therewith for exhaustingfumes within the enclosed space, and means including a plurality of fanson said fixed base for supplying fresh air to said enclosed space.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the exhaust means includemeans for continually extinguishing flames generated in the heated airand vapor passing therethrough.

3. A device as specified in claim 2, in which the means for continuallyextinguishing flames comprise a water spray arrangement.

4. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the means for raising andlowering the curtains moves the curtains at a faster rate than the rateof movement of the upper platen.

5. A device as specified in claim 4, including means for selectivelyoperating said curtains.

6. A device as specified in claim 5, in which each of 5 6 said curtainsis provided with means for raising and References Citedinthe file ofthis patent lowering the respective curtain. U T STATES PATENTS 7. Adevice as specified in claim 1, including means for rolling up andunrolling the curtains, said means being 2415471 P 1947 actuated by themotion of the press through a system 6 2565933 schneble 1951 of pulleysand cables. 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 516,625 Great Britain Ian. 8, 1940

